That quake prompted changes in construction rules in Morocco, but many buildings, especially rural homes, are not built to withstand such tremors. In 1960, a magnitude 5.8 tremor struck near the Moroccan city of Agadir and caused thousands of deaths. Lahcen Mhanni, Head of the Seismic Monitoring and Warning Department at the National Institute of Geophysics, told 2M TV that the earthquake was the strongest ever recorded in the region. The collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates occurred at a relatively shallow depth, which makes a quake more dangerous.Įarthquakes are relatively rare in North Africa. agency reported a magnitude 4.9 aftershock hit 19 minutes later. (22:11 GMT), with shaking that lasted several seconds. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 when it hit at 11:11 p.m. The countries have a decadeslong dispute involving the territory of Western Sahara. Algeria closed the airspace when its government severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021 over a series of issues. In an exceptional move, neighboring rival Algeria offered to open its airspace to allow eventual humanitarian aid or medical evacuation flights to travel to and from Morocco. France and Germany, with large populations of people of Moroccan origin, also offered to help, and the leaders of both Ukraine and Russia expressed support for Moroccans. The president of Turkey, which lost tens of thousands of people in a massive earthquake earlier this year, was among those proposing assistance. World leaders offered to send in aid or rescue crews as condolences poured in from countries in Europe, the Middle East, and the Group of 20 summit in India. Al Haouz is known for scenic villages and valleys tucked in the High Atlas Mountains.Ī man carries tools to dig through the rubble of his home, after an earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco on Saturday. The epicenter of Friday’s tremor was near the town of Ighil in Al Haouz Province, roughly 44 miles south of Marrakech. ![]() The king said he would visit the hardest hit area Saturday, but despite an outpouring of offers of help from around the world, the Moroccan government had not formally asked for assistance, a step required before outside rescue crews could deploy. ![]() In a sign of the huge scale of the disaster, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI ordered the armed forces to mobilize specialized search and rescue teams and a surgical field hospital, according to a statement from the military. “The problem is that where destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough to cope with strong ground shaking, so many collapses, resulting in high casualties,” said Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London. At least another 2,059 people were injured – 1,404 critically – the ministry said. Its 226-foot minaret is known as the “roof of Marrakech.” Moroccans also posted videos showing damage to parts of the famous red walls that surround the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.Īt least 2,012 people died in the quake, mostly in Marrakech and five provinces near the epicenter, Morocco’s Interior Ministry reported Saturday night. The city’s famous Koutoubia Mosque, built in the 12th century, was damaged, but the extent was not immediately clear. ![]() In historic Marrakech, people could be seen on state TV clustering in the streets, afraid to go back inside buildings that might still be unstable. Trending Questions What is the surface area of a sphere whose radius is 7.5 m? How do you make 1 whole in to a fraction? What is the value of x if x squared plus 5x equals 60? How would you write 5400 in scientific notation? The product of two more than a number and ten is thirty-six more than eight times the number so what is the number? What is 144 squared to? What is the length of the longest side the perimeter of the triangle is 63 in.A rescue worker pauses while taking part in a rescue operation after the earthquake, in Moulay Brahim village, near Marrakech, Morocco on Saturday.
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